


"Can you tell me where to find-?" "NOPE!"

by buttfulmavinness



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Library, M/M, full on uguu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-10-16
Packaged: 2018-02-21 11:05:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2465975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buttfulmavinness/pseuds/buttfulmavinness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So how come you’re not using their library?”</p>
<p>He gave out a dramatic sigh. He kept skimming the titles and authors, getting closer to his goal.</p>
<p>“My professor didn’t take into account the unusually high amount of participants in his class when he gave us our assignment, and they ran out of copies. I was… One of the unfortunates to have put off acquiring my own copy, and so I’ve come here to use the library and take notes.”</p>
<p>Because meeting in the library AU was necessary for my recovery from the end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Can you tell me where to find-?" "NOPE!"

14 hours and 32 minutes left to finish. It’d take him around 17 minutes to get to Kamii from Haruna Gakuin, and finding the book could take from 2 minutes to an hour, depending on various factors. Last user, organising system, knowledge of the staff, if someone was already using it. He could charm his way through, though, convincing whoever was holding it in their possession to give it to him in no time. Estimated time of starting, in favourable conditions, would be exactly at 18:00. The library closed at 21:00, but he’d be able to make notes of all the things he needed for his paper, but getting home or finding another suitable place would take away precious time. He shouldn’t have procrastinated so much on starting up this paper. This just showed even the most collected of all could lose their composure and end up rushing in the evening for a single book, so they could write a paper based on it. He did wonder if this was what all the other students at his university referred to as ‘last minute panic’, that earned empathic looks from all those who had time to spare.

People gave him odd looks, his pace and expression might’ve been out of place for the colourful designer clothes he had on, but this wasn’t a good moment to try and make them less wary of him. In truth, the way they parted like the Red Sea, saved him from weaving through the mass. The university’s library was massive, but he knew the checkout desk placement was the same in all libraries. Unfortunate for him, no one seemed to be there. Scratch that, no one seemed to be in the whole building, there were no people, no noises, no nothing. Just books.

“Sacré bleu. These people are going to put me into an early grave.”

He gave the bell on the desk a ring, but didn’t bother to wait around for long. First he would need to find the department. Thankfully they weren’t divided into different buildings around the campus like at his university, or he would’ve been in some deep, deep…

“The third hall, huh. That’d be left from here…”

The simple map of the different departments helped him to start his hunt for the book. 14 hours and 4 minutes. He was running later than he’d like. He might’ve made it to the Human Sciences, but he still needed to find the Psychology section.

Suddenly he found himself encircled by bookshelves. Literally. The shelves’ ends made a perfect circle in the middle and at the ends you could only see books. It wasn’t easy to tell them apart.

“What is this..? Are they trying to get people lost in here on purpose? If I’m not careful and remember where I’ve come, I might actually end up getting lost… Ah, a smaller map. Psychology is… Right over there.”

Scrip.

His head jerked up. That noise… Someone turning a page. He wasn’t alone after all. Quietly he stepped towards the area, where the sound had come from. There were desks for reading, a single lamp lit and a hunched over figure on one of the seats. As he approached the person, they seemed to wake up from their trance and glance towards him, but continued on immediately. He might be a student here, which meant that he could help him find the book he needed even faster, and make up for the lost time.

“Excuse me,” he began. The person, a boy he could tell up close, raised his head again when he addressed him. “Can you tell me where to find this psychology book called-?”

“Uh… Sorry,” he interrupted. “I don’t study anything related to it, so I don’t know… “

“Oh,” he retorted, “I see.”

At his response, the boy’s face got washed over by guilt. He was about to turn back, when the boy called out to him in desperate voice:

“I can help you look for it! I mean… If you want?”

He felt a bit taken aback by the desperation that coated the boy’s words. He flashed him the kindest smile he could and replied:

“Thank you. I’d love some help.”

Thousand stars lit up in the boy’s eyes at his words, and he quickly nodded. Before getting up, he marked the page he was on neatly with a bookmark. On their way to the Psychology section, the boy hesitantly asked him:

“Um, if you don’t mind… How come you don’t know the library so well?”

“That’d be because it is my first time using it. I’m actually from Haruna Gakuin.”

“Oh. So how come you’re not using their library?”

He gave out a dramatic sigh. He kept skimming the titles and authors, getting closer to his goal.

“My professor didn’t take into account the unusually high amount of participants in his class when he gave us our assignment, and they ran out of copies. I was… One of the unfortunates to have put off acquiring my own copy, and so I’ve come here to use the library and take notes.”

“I see. Hm… Ah! I found it!”

On one of the lower shelves there were several copies of it available, all in acceptable condition on the outside. 13 hours, 52 minutes. Time just kept on flying.

“Thank you. I’m in debt to you for this.”

“Ah, no it was nothing! Really! I’m just glad I could help.”

“I am grateful though. I hope you wouldn’t mind me sharing your table, I’d like to get to work as soon as possible. I need to get all my notes before closing time.”

Judging by it’s size, it was a bit over 200 pages. He’d make it before having to leave, but it didn’t give him any time to loiter around.

“Huh? Why would you need to take notes before closing time? Can’t you just… Borrow it?” the boy asked, with an extremely puzzled looking expression.

“Hm? Oh, no, unfortunately I don’t have a library card that’d work here, so I can’t take it with me.”

He sat down at the desk, pulling out his notebook and pencil.

“I’ll just have to do quick notes related to my topic, and work out the rest at home for tomorrow. Although it will make things quite difficult for me,” he ended more to himself than his companion.

The boy sat down opposite of him, wearing a dark expression.

‘A real worrywart. Some people are just like that, huh.’

He opened the book, looking through the table of contents and marking down the most relevant topics. He’d start from those and move to others if he had time.

“I…”

He looked up from his work when the boy spoke.

“I… Could… Lend you mine?” he ended his sentence in a sort of question. He looked really unsure of himself, his cheeks flushed, probably from some level of social anxiety. When he looked up to see his reaction he seemed to get some courage back into him and repeated louder and clearer:

“I could lend you my library card, if you’d like?”

He was a bit surprised, but he easily kept his composure.

“I couldn’t let you do that for a mere stranger, you’ve already helped me so much.”

The boy seemed a bit torn apart by his words, so he continued with an extended hand.

“My name is Tsukiyama Shuu, and I study Human Welfare for the fourth year in Haruna Gakuin.”

“Oh, uh, Kaneki Ken, freshman in Japanese Literature.”

“Well then, Kaneki Ken-kun, it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you. I’d be delighted to take you up on your offer.”

Kaneki’s face lit up and the meek smile, for the lack of a better word, blossomed into a true and wide one.

“The pleasure is all mine, Tsukiyama-san.”

 

Kaneki showed him where automatic checkouts were, and Tsukiyama found them to be the same model his university’s library used. After checking out his book, he returned to the desk Kaneki had occupied until then.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll keep you company. I prefer libraries when studying, and being able to take this book home gives me more time to converse. You said you were in Japanese Literature, right?”

Kaneki nodded and looked fondly at the book he held in his hands.

“Yes. I’ve always loved books, ever since I was little, and since it was possible to study something I held close to my heart, I had to take up on it. I don’t really know what I’ll do once I finish my bachelor’s degree, I’ll probably go for the master’s… But as a career I’m not sure which path I’ll take… But none of it really matters because I have books, no matter what future brings me.”

“You… Really love books. I can see it in your face when you talk about them.”

Kaneki looked up at him, ears tinged red.

“It’s not something to be embarrassed about, Kaneki-kun!” he laughed. “I love books too, after all! All of them hold the potential to have you swept away, even the dusty old tomes, or the worst written educational book. There’s something otherworldly, dare I say magical about them. They can change you, the way you look about things, teach you all this knowledge with a few drawn lines!”

He had started wildly gesturing, but didn’t feel the need to stop himself. It was a way he communicated, and the body conveyed messages better than words did when talking about communication between two humans. Kaneki seemed to have woken up too, there was a fire that had been awoken, that was clearly visible when he explained his view.

“I agree, they truly are powerful things. I’m sorry for suddenly asking this cliche question, but who is your favourite author?”

Kaneki leaned closer to him, to which he responded, mirroring his action.

“It’s hard for me to say, whenever I want to name one, another one pops into mind, and in the end the list just keeps going.”

Another dramatic sigh.

“Recently I have been reading through Takatsuki’s books, from oldest to newest…”

“You mean Takatsuki Sen’s works, right?!” Kaneki jumped at that with such eagerness, that he felt bit threatened for half a second. He didn’t let it show, but his nod still ended up a bit stiff. Kaneki didn’t seem to care though.

“Takatsuki is my favourite author of all time, I love all of them, I actually came here to read her newest one.” Kaneki showed the cover of the book he had been reading. “I usually read in cafes, but lately money’s been tight, so I’ve had to cut my visits down, otherwise I’d probably be reading there right now. I had hoped to read this at my usual spot in one sitting like I usually do when I read something for the first time, but I had to let go of that for now.”

“Oh. Would you have preferred me to not disturb you this evening then? My apologies.”

“Oh no, no.” Kaneki shook his head with vigor, his short hair hitting his forehead. “I don’t really have anyone to talk about books, so I like to take up on a chance whenever I can. My friends, well, a friend, really, isn’t that interested in books. He does listen to me when I talk about them, but it’s not really the same if the other one hasn’t read it, or doesn’t know the author’s style. I have talked to a few people in my classes, but those conversations have been short. I did enjoy them, but you really can’t get to the bottom of everything and interpret in different ways, or exchange interpretations without an hour or two to spare.”

“You… Talk quite a lot, don’t you?”

“Oh god, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble-!”

“No it’s fine, I’m sure many would say it’s good for me to hear someone else’s voice than my own, for once.”

“It’s just that… It’s really nice…”

“What is?”

“Talking to someone… About things you love… Having them listen to you… And having them understand you.”

He smiled at his words. It feels like he couldn’t have stopped himself from smiling, even if he had wanted to.

“Kaneki-kun.”

Kaneki looks up as he call his name. His eyes seem to wander to the book a lot.

“I’ll listen to you as much as you want, Kaneki-kun.”

A smile starts to form on his face, but he averts his eyes down again. A flush makes up its way on his face again.

“Um… Can I ask you for a favour, Tsukiyama-san?”

He tilts his head. A favour. The seemingly meek Kaneki, asks him a favour.

“Sure.”

He has to know what it is.

Kaneki raises his gaze to meet his again.

“I’d like you to talk with me, instead of listening.”

There is a silence for a few seconds, before he chuckles.

“Of course, Kaneki-kun.”

He had completely worded his offer wrong.

 

“It’s getting late, isn’t it? They’re going to close in a moment or two.”

He looks at his wristwatch with mild concern. Kaneki looks like he had just woke up on the other side of the world for no apparent reason.

“Eh? It’s almost nine? But it feels like it’s been just a while…”

He grinned at Kaneki.

“That’s what happens when you have fun, Kaneki-kun.”

He got up from his chair and stretched. No matter how good his physical condition, almost three hours of sitting made him sore as all hell.

“Well then. Time to go back home and finish my paper.”

Kaneki looked a bit lost at what to do, until he seemed to register his words.

“Your… YOUR PAPER! I kept on talking when you should’ve been writing it! Oh, I’m so stupid, I’m so sorry, I honestly didn’t mean to keep you from-”

“And stop right there.” He held his finger on Kaneki’s lips. “Kaneki-kun. It was my conscious, well, maybe more of a half-conscious, decision to talk to you, rather than write my paper. With a clear conscience I can say, that I do not regret my decision. Talking to you has been much more rewarding to me, than writing a paper for some class I’m already passing easily. So do not fret over something so insignificant as this paper.”

He leaned closer to him, bending down to his eye level.

“Do you understand, Kaneki-kun?”

This close he could see Kaneki’s pupils widen and the excited flush from talking turn darker. Kaneki nodded slowly. He could feel a small thumping on his finger that was still against his lips, but he couldn’t tell if it was Kaneki’s or his. He hoped it was Kaneki’s, but the chance of actually feeling his heartbeat through his lips on his finger seemed minimal, so he didn’t disclose the chance of it being his.

While still close to Kaneki, he made the mistake of breathing in through his nose. He didn’t register it first, but his inhale kept on going longer than normal, until he had to exhale.

He was sure his pupils had dilated by now too. His neck craned down, closer to the source without him even being aware.

“Magnifique…”

Kaneki made a questioning noise. He was met with a forehead on his shoulder. The finger on his lips slid down, until whole hand was gently pressed against Kaneki’s chest. He could feel the accelerated thumping now, but he didn’t pay it any mind. His mind was filled with that smell.

“Your scent is fantastic, Kaneki-kun.”

“Eh?”

“It’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever smelled. Absolutely superb.”

“What?”

“Kaneki-kun.” He straightened his posture, keeping his hand against his chest, while his other tilted Kaneki’s chin up, caressing his cheek.

“Did you know there is a study that suggests, that beyond all the visual and mental attraction, it is people’s scent that draws them together?”

“Huh?”

He leaned closer, until his mouth was right next to Kaneki’s ear.

“I know it isn’t gentlemanly, but would you mind if I kissed you?”

“I…”

His cheek brushed against Kaneki’s when moved back. Kaneki’s face was void of emotion. Aware, but void. He experimentally moved forward a bit, slowly closing the gap between them. The closer he got, the less Kaneki’s eyes were open, which he took as a good sign.

At first it wasn’t much of a kiss, just their lips pressed against each other, but he didn’t intend to make it much more than that. On a whim, he licked Kaneki’s lower lip, getting a small taste to revel in. In a few seconds he moved back again, but for a while he could’ve sworn Kaneki had followed him.

When he looked at him, his eyes were a bit droopy, and he was a sure a blush was waiting for a signal for when Kaneki’s mind caught up.

“Kaneki-kun… Even if you smell great, you taste even better.”

As if on queue, Kaneki seemed to regain his consciousness and blood rushed to his cheeks.

“Uaaah…“ escaped a quiet sound from Kaneki’s mouth.

“Hm? Did you not like it, Kaneki-kun?”

“Eh? Ah! No! It was just fine, I just- uh. I liked it alot, actually, I just haven’t been kissed many times and-”

“Kaneki-kun…” he began, in the lightest tone he could manage. Kaneki was getting a bit frantic. He moved his hand from his chest to groom his hair.

“As a proper gentleman, I’d like to properly take you out, you see? So would you mind me treating you to some coffee in that cafe you mentioned before? We could continue our conversation there.”

The distraction seemed to work, for Kaneki soon nodded. He tilted his head to the side with a smile.

“I’m glad.”

With one last stroke, he let go and turned to pack his things. Kaneki moved to pack his things too, and when they were both ready, he asked:

“Shall we go?”

Kaneki nodded, avoiding his gaze but stealing glances when he thought he couldn’t see. When they exited the building, he noticed the sun had already settled and the outer lights had been lit up. They stopped at the door.

“This same spot at four tomorrow. Does that work for you, Kaneki-kun?”

“Uh, yes.”

“How lovely! We’ll meet again tomorrow then!”

“Ah! Tsukiyama-san!”

He turned back towards Kaneki, to find that the boy was already right behind him. Kaneki suddenly jerked him down from his tie, and kissed him without any warning. When he moved back down from his tippy toes, he beamed:

“I’m glad to have met you, Tsukiyama-san.”

Just as fast, he turned and began walking away from him.

“I’m glad to have met you too, Kaneki-kun.”

**Author's Note:**

> So this was already posted on tumblr, and I proofread it and decided it was time to upload it here too. So yeah. Now I'm trying to convince this is how they met and none of the ghoulishness ever happened and things are swell, everyone is alive and nothing bad is ever going to happen to anyone. #denialbitch


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